Campaigns & Elections - August 2007 - (Page 29)

NICK SCHLAX (iSTOCK) already announced his candidacy. Rep. Margaret Donnelly of St. Louis County has also expressed interest in the race. On the Republican side, state Sen. Chris Koster of Harrisonville is the only announced candidate. Senate President Pro Tem Michael Gibbons and former Speaker of the House Catherine Hanaway, both of St. Louis County, are reportedly considering a bid for the Republican nod. —John Combest, JohnCombest.com the 1990s, the casino industry accounted for $19 million in federal campaign donations. But since the beginning of 2000, the industry has contributed more than $50 million. also wants laws that would allow any of their candidates that do make the ballot to be listed with a party affiliation rather than as an independent —Gongwer News Service Michigan Report MINNESOTA Minnesota may have one less seat in Congress, said officials, if a census were taken today. Although the state has had eight seats in the House of Representatives since 1960, this could change after the 2010 U.S. Census. Losing the eighth seat would also mean that the state would lose an electoral vote in presidential elections and receive less money from the federal government. The state is currently planning on spending $300,000 to make sure that every resident is counted in 2010. MISSISSIPPI Discrimination against voters is an issue in Mississippi, according to a federal district judge in Mississippi. Judge Tom Lee found that officials in Noxubee County, Miss., had discriminated against white voters through the issue of illegal marking of absentee ballots, tampering with voter registration rolls, bringing in illegal candidates and publishing a list of voters whose votes could be challenged. MISSOURI With neither Democrat Jay Nixon nor Republican Matt Blunt likely to face serious opposition in next August’s gubernatorial primaries, attention is turning to the intraparty battles to fill Nixon’s attorney general slot. Rep. Jeff Harris of Columbia, who led his party’s caucus in the Missouri House, has MONTANA Republican leaders met in Helena, Mont., in late June to discuss ways to regain control over the state legislature. Republicans lost control of the Senate in the mid-term elections and hold onto a very slim majority in the state House. Erik Iverson was elected as the new Republican Party chair. He and U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg have stated that they will work to transform the state Republican Party from the bottom up, including creating a position for a full-time communications director. NEBRASKA Nebraska Republican Attorney General Jon Bruning raised $721,200 through the first two quarters of the year for a run against U.S. Sen. Chuck Hagel. Hagel, an outspoken critic of the Bush administration’s foreign policy, is rumored to be considering an Independent presidential run. NEVADA Some presidential hopefuls are hoping to score some blackjacks in Nevada as money from the casino lobbies continues to pour in. Because the state is holding its caucuses in January, presidential hopefuls are paying unprecedented attention to the Las Vegas strip. According to a report by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, in NEW HAMPSHIRE The state legislature defeated a bill that would have allowed corporations and unions to donate to New Hampshire campaigns without reporting their donations. Campaign finance activists held a press conference with Secretary of State Bill Gardner just days before the campaign finance bill was set to go to a floor debate. Currently, New Hampshire law does not allow corporations to donate directly to campaigns, but a 1999 state Supreme Court ruling declared the law too restrictive and instructed the legislature to make amendments. Proponents of the bill said it was submitted simply to “level the playing field” when it came to union and corporate donations, but Gardner and Portsmouth’s Democratic Rep. Jim Splaine both fought to defeat the measure because, as Gardner said, it would “open the flood gates” to massive amounts of corporate donations, creating a “haven for big money and the scandals that it has led to in the past.” —Beth LaMontagne, NHpols.com NEW JERSEY Monetization has become the new term du jour for Republicans when attacking Gov. Jon Corzine and other state Democrats this election season. The GOP has criticized the proposed plan to lease or sell the New Jersey Turnpike. The governor has responded that plan could generate $10 to $15 billion and would not include selling the assets to a for-profit or foreign entity. —Tom Jenneman, NJpols.com DUC DO (iSTOCK) Nevada CAMPAIGNS & ELECTIONS 08.07 29 http://www.johncombest.com http://www.nhpols.com http://www.njpols.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Campaigns & Elections - August 2007

Cover Contents Editor’s Note Ames Straw Poll Cavalcade; Last Candidate Standing; The New Dollar-A-Year Guy; Web Videos That Can Change the Election Across State Lines: Campaign News from Around the Country People and Organizations Movers and Shakers: Ten Questions for Matthew Taylor and Philip de Vellis Campaign Consultant Sign-Ups Reel Time Cover Story: Building Blocks From Madison Avenue to K Street Money Can’t Buy Votes Dick Cheney: Roll Model for Millions Ames: Still Weird, Still Important How to Do Tougher, Quicker Crisis Management Online Cause-Based SocNets Lure Issue Voters The Great Exaggeration Why Primetime TV is Alive and Well, Politically Speaking Buyer’s Guide Tips for Toeing the Fine Line Between Employment, Friendship Managing Your Friend’s Campaign? Think ‘Consigliore’ Off The Record

Campaigns & Elections - August 2007

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.